Effectiveness and Safety of Radiofrequency Thermocoagulation Treatment Guided by Computed Tomography for Infraorbital Neuralgia Following Failed Conservative Treatment: A Retrospective Study

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of CT-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFT) for the treatment of infraorbital neuralgia following the failure of conservative management. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a single center, retrospective study which included 196 patients between the ages of 37 to 90 years, who suffered from infraorbital neuralgia, and had undergone CT-guided RFT treatment. The medical records of these patients were retrieved between January 7, 2015 and February 5, 2020, and the patients were followed up for 2 years. Follow-up outcomes included Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) scores, dosage of carbamazepine, time to take effect, status of recurrence and side effects. The effective rate was defined as the percentage of patients with postoperative NRS score reduction of >50%. RESULTS: The effective rates were 92.9%, 100%, 100%, 100%, 93.4% and 85.7% on the same day, week 1, month 1, month 6, year 1 and year 2 after RFT, respectively. After RFT, the postoperative NRS scores and dosage of carbamazepine were significantly reduced than those preoperatively (P < 0.05). The median time to take effect was zero day. Twenty-eight patients with recurrence underwent RFT again and achieved complete pain relief. All patients experienced numbness in the infraorbital nerve innervation area and the numbness scores gradually decreased over time. CONCLUSION: CT-guided RFT treatment may be an effective and safe technique for pain relief in patients with infraorbital neuralgia following failed results from conservative treatment.